Rotary air lock dispenser



1, 1965 F. L. CARSON 3,203,601

ROTARY AIR LOCK DISPENSER Filed July 5, 1962 INVENTOR FORREST L. CARSON BY 16M, 15%

United States Patent 3,203,601 ROTARY AIR LG/CK DISPENSER Forrest L. Carson, Borger, Tern, assignor to J. Huber Corporation, Locust, N1, a corporation of New Jersey Filed July 5, 1962, Ser. No. 207,519 1 Claim. (Cl. 222-220) The present invention relates to a rotary air lock particularly for discharging powdered material while preventing passage of air therethrough.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a rotary air lock which is self cleaning to prevent caking of powdered material within the rotary portions of the lock.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary air lock which will effectively prevent passage of air through the lock while moving powdered material therethrough.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following specification when considered in light of the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an end elevation of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, the reference numeral indicates generally a rotary air lock constructed in accordance with the invention.

The air lock 10 includes a pair of circular end plates 11, 12 arranged in spaced apart parallel axially aligned relation. The end plates 11, 12 are provided, respectively, with centrally positioned axially aligned sleeves 13, 14 extending inwardly therefrom. A circular plate 15 is rigidly secured to the inner end of the sleeve 13 in spaced apart parallel relation to the plate 11 and axially aligned therewith. A circular plate 16 is rigidly secured to the rigid end of the sleeve 14 in spaced apart parallel relation to the plate 12 and in axially aligned relation thereto.

A fiat ring 17 is secured to the inner face of the plate 11 at the peripheral edges thereof as can be seen in FIGURES 2 and 3. A similar ring 18 is secured to the end plate 12 on the inner face adjacent the peripheral edges of the plate 12. A cylindrical body 19 is positioned between the end plates 11, 12 and is secured thereto in axially aligned relation therewith. The cylindrical body 19 has its outer end edges secured to the rings 17, 18, respectively, as can be clearly seen in FIGURE 3.

A spacer bracket 20 is secured to the outer face of the end plate 11 and has an elongated bearing plate 21 mounted on the outer edges thereof parallel to the end plate 11. A second spacer bracket 22 is secured to the outer face of the end plate 12 and has a bearing plate 23 secured to the outer edge thereof in spaced parallel relation to the end plate 12.

A conduit 24 is secured to the cylindrical body 19 at the upper portion thereof with the lower portion of the conduit 24 opening through the cylindrical body 19 communicating with the interior thereof. A horizontal outwardly extending flange 25 is formed on the upper edge of the conduit 24 for securing the conduit 24 in sealed relation to a hopper (not shown).

An outlet conduit 26 is secured to the cylindrical body 19 at the bottom thereof in diametrically opposed relation to the conduit 24. The outlet conduit 26 has a horizontal outwardly extending flange 27 secured to the lower edge thereof for fastening the conduit 26 in sealed relation to a conveyor (not shown).

3,203,601 Patented Aug. 31, 1965 An elongated horizontal shaft 28 extends through the sleeves 13, 14 and through the bearing plates 21, 23 as can be seen in FIGURE 3. The shaft 28 is mounted in a bearing 29 at one end supported on the bearing plate 21 and in a bearing 30 at the other end supported on a bearing plate 23. The shaft 28 is splined at 31 for connection to a drive system (not shown) in a conventional manner. A relatively large sprocket wheel 32 is mounted on the opposite end of the shaft 28 in fixed relation thereto for rotation therewith.

A pair of circular plates 33, 34 are rigidly secured to the shaft 28 in spaced parallel relation to each other and in axially aligned relation to the shaft 28. A plurality of radial partitions 35 of generally rectangular configuration are arranged in equispaced relation about the shaft 28 between the plates 33, 34 and are secured to the plates 33, 34 as well as the shaft 28 for rotation therewith. For purposes of illustration, applicant has shown six of the radial partitions 35 whereas it should be-understood that any desired number may be used.

An arcuate concave plate 36 has its opposite ends connected to the circular plates 33, 34 and its opposite side edges connected to the outer edges of a pair of adjacent partitions 35. The arcuate plates 36 form pockets which are capable of being positioned beneath the conduit 24 and in communication with a conduit 26 both as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

A shaft 37 is arranged beneath the shaft 28 and parallel thereto extending through the circular plates 11, 12 and the bearing plates 21, 23 as is shown in FIGURE 3. The shaft 37 is journaled in a bearing 38 at one end supported on the bearing plate 21 and in a bearing 39 at the other end supported on the bearing plate 23. A sprocket 40 is fixed to one end of the shaft 37 in aligned relation to the sprocket 32. The sprockets 32 and 40 have a six to one relationship so that the sprocket 32 will drive the sprocket 40 by means of a chain 41 six revolutions for each one revolution of the sprocket 32. A generally rectangular scraper blade 42 is fixedly secured to the shaft 37 and extends from the circular plate 33 to the circular plate 34. The scraper blade 42 rotating with the shaft 37 has its outer edge moving across each of the concave plates 36 to scrape powdered material therefrom which may have become caked therein. The scraper blade 42 moves through each of the pockets formed by the concave plates 36 during the revolution of the air lock 10.

The proportions of the scraper blade 42 and the concave plates 36 are such that no actual engagement therebetween takes place even though the separation is quite narrow. In view of the lock of engagement between the blade 42 and the concave plates 36 obviously jamming cannot occur.

Prior to applicants invention, air locks were made with the partition walls 35 but the concave plates 36 and scraper blade 42 were not used. In such prior art devices, the powdered material (in this case, carbon black) often packed so tightly between the partitions 35 that it remained caked in the pockets and did not discharge through the conduit 26 as the air lock rotated. With the present invention, all the powdered material is removed as each pocket comes into registry with the conduit 26 so that the air lock 10 can be operated at a much higher speed than would otherwise be possible.

The rotation of the shafts 28, 37 in the same direction has several advantages. The scraper blade 42 moves oppositely to the material being removed from the pocket and hence a much shorter blade 42 can be used than would otherwise be possible. The resistance to rotation of the blade 42 by the material being removed is directly related to the length of the blade 42 so that the present relatively short blade 42 meets with limited resistance to rotation. Furthermore the use of a short blade 42 and the rotation of the shafts 28, 37 in the same direction permits the use of a greater number of pockets in the wheel so that no more than 2 pockets are ever opened to the inlet or outlet simultaneously.

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

An air lock comprising a hollow cylindrical body, means for connecting said body to, and affording commnnication with, a hopper, means opposite said first named means for connecting said body to, and affording communication with, a conveyor, a shaft journalled in i said body intermediate the means for connecting said body to a hopper and the means for connecting said body to a conveyor, a pocketed wheel mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith with the pockets therein being adapted to successively and respectively align with the means for securing said body to said hopper and to said conveyor, said pockets each including an arcuate plate convexly curved with respect to said shaft and concavely curved with respect to the circumference of said wheel, a second shaft journalled in said body centrally of the means for connecting said body to a conveyor, said second shaft arranged'parallel to said first shaft, means connecting said shafts to rotate said second shaft upon rotation of said first shaft in the same direction as said first shaft, a single scraper blade secured to said second shaft in a radially outwardly extending direction, the curvature of said arcuate plate and the radial length of said scraper blade permitting said scraper blade to move respectively through each of said pockets during rotation of said wheel with a wiping relation to said plate, said scraper blade having a radial length of substantially less than the opening in said means for connecting said body to a conveyor whereby upon rotation of said scraper blade said means for connecting said body to a conveyor will remain continuously open.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,515,993 11/24 Beyer 222220 2,363,961 11/44 Hart 222-342 X 52,732,086 1/ 5 6 Schnyder .222342 X LOUIS J. DEM BO, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Examiner. 

